Over the past many years that I’ve lived with burning mouth syndrome, every time I announced that my pain was decreasing, it started to increase. So I’m always so scared to tell people when I’m in a good period. But for the past several days, the pain has been steadily decreasing, with a few blips. I’ll even say the pain has been down to a 2/10 today – and I cannot recall the last time that has happened. (Still increased pain overnight though.)

The thing is, as I keep this daily journal exactly for this purpose, there is nothing different at all in what I’ve been doing. I haven’t eaten I don’t usually and I haven’t stopped eating anything. I’ve had days when I drank some alcohol and days that I haven’t. Days I’ve gone to the gym and days I haven’t. The weather has been gorgeous, but I’ve been in agony during other gorgeous weather periods. The only think that could have anything to do with it – in my opinion – was having Covid two weeks ago and then having among the worst pain I’ve had.

Sadly, I know this good period won’t last. Some people will say “think positive! This might be the time.” Well, there’s thinking positive and being realistic. In the well over a decade I’ve been had this burning lip pain, the pain has always come back after it subsides for a bit. That’s not to say I’m not hopeful. I am. I keep imagining what it would be like to wake up one morning and have no pain in my lips again and for it to remain that way.

(By the way, the feature photo is one I took when we went to Old Montreal yesterday. I absolutely adore old buildings and flowers – and when they’re together, all the better!)